Teresa Lee (left) puts her arm around her friend Sasha Childers (right). The two showed up to sing and pray at Red Square after reports of hate speech broke and classes were canceled. Lee saw that people were gathering to sing and pray on Facebook and decided to join. The Facebook messages and the email from President Shepard "made me feel like we need to pray for Western and for people and for God to help us," she said. // Photo by Christina Becker

Photo Gallery: In light of hate speech Western students sing of love

Students from Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF), the Inn and the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry and faculty from Western Christian Faculty gathered in Red Square on Tuesday morning, Nov. 24 after classes were canceled due to hate speech reports on YikYak. Unofficial CCF adviser Geoff Mumley said some of the leaders came together and prayed about what the best response to the hate speech would be. They decided to sing in Red Square to replace hate speech with messages of love, he said.

Students from Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF), The Inn and the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry and Western Christian Faculty gathered in Red Square, on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 10 a.m. to sing and pray about the hate speech that appeared on social media last night. // Photo by Caleb Galbreath

Teresa Lee (left) puts her arm around her friend Sasha Childers (right). The two showed up to sing and pray at Red Square after reports of hate speech broke and classes were canceled. Lee saw that people were gathering to sing and pray on Facebook and decided to join. The Facebook messages and the email from President Shepard "made me feel like we need to pray for Western and for people and for God to help us," she said. // Photo by Christina Becker

Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF) community adviser Michelle Phillips leads a group of Christian students and faculty who gathered in Red Square in song. The group decided to sing messages of love to break the hateful messages that were spread last night, unofficial CCF adviser Geoff Mumley said. // Photo by Christina Becker

Students from Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF), The Inn, the Newman Center and Western Christian Faculty gathered in Red Square, on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 10 a.m. to sing and pray about the hate speech that appeared on social media last night. Various students took turns leading prayers for redemption, healing and peace over campus. // Photo by Christina Becker

Lori Baca prays with students from Campus Christian Fellowship, the Inn, the Newman Center and faculty from Western Christian Faculty. // Photo by Christina Becker